抄録
The lateral thoracic meningocele is an uncommon disorder, consisting of meningeal protrusion into the thoracic cavity through an enlarged intervertebral foramen. We report on a case with this uncommon disorder, which had been treated as a retromediastinum tumor. A previously healthy 51-year-old male was diagnosed as having a retromediastinum cystic tumor at a medical checkup. The tumor was filled with watery-clear fluid and its wall was partially removed transthoratically. After the surgery, a continuous and massive CSF-like fluid drained out through the thoracic drainage tube. A lateral thoracic meningocele was highly suspected from the findings of his MRI and CT myelography. We performed Th 10-11 hemi-laminectomy with facetectomy and ligated the stalk of the cyst. The CSF flow through the drainage tube subsided immediately after the surgery. He was discharged two weeks after the second surgery without any neurological deficits or systemic complications. Lateral thoracic meningocele is usually asymptomatic and most commonly presents as a mass in the posterior mediastinum on routine radiographs of the chest. Surgical indication for this essentially benign condition is justified for symptomatic cases. Therefore, although this clinical entity is rare, correct radiological diagnosis is important.
